You cannot do that with a Fire or an iPad. These things have the potentional to be the next amazing paradigm in the evolution of personal computing.

Only if you're willing to sell out to MS and let them tell you what you'll run, how much the subscription will cost, and how long you can run it. Is it worth losing the ability to migrate freely from one software company to another?

What it looks like is the sideloading system requires apps to have a signing key like App Store apps do, which means that MS now has a way to deny FOSS software whose maintainers probably don't have the money to shell out for a signing key of their own. It also allows them to deny competitors who might try to edge into one of their key markets- web browsers and office softwares.

I wonder what Teddy Roosevelt and William Taft would say about this, assuming they were brought up to speed on the technologies involved.

Hmmm...I had no problems installing Firefox or Thunderbird, two apps which are in direct competition with MS. I use both daily. Maybe those limitations are only on the RT version?

Only if you're willing to sell out to MS and let them tell you what you'll run, how much the subscription will cost, and how long you can run it. Is it worth losing the ability to migrate freely from one software company to another?

Who have you sold out to? Microsoft has been giving us value and choice for all of my adult life. My Microsoft systems allow me to choose among the largest collection of quality (yes quality matters) software supporting business, education, and recreation.

As I said, my company deployed iPads. The project was a complete failure. Executives traveled with both an iPad and a laptop and support costs increased exponentially (it costs money even if the answer is, "You can't do that.")

Imagine you are working at a computer all day. At the end of the day, you pull your tablet out of the dock and head for home. It switches from wifi/ethernet to 4g for the ride home them wifi again once you get home. You get an email that requires attention beyond the capability of an email response, so you drop your tablet into a dock in your home office and proceed to solve the problem. In the morning you head to the airport with your tablet in tow. You keep in touch with the office as you travel to your destination. When you arrive at the hotel, you drop your tablet into the hotel's docking station and have the use of a full blown computer station. When you arrive at your business meeting, you again plug in your tablet for full computer access.

You cannot do that with a Fire or an iPad. These things have the potentional to be the next amazing paradigm in the evolution of personal computing.

I think an Intel tablet with Windows is the holy grail, if weight and battery life are good enough and it doesn't run hot. Instead of having 2 devices, a tablet and a PC, you only need one. You can install any program you like, including many that will never run on a tablet (like CAD). No need for apps, all websites work all the time. No restrictions, full multi-tasking.

Tablets with mobile OSs will become like the e-ink devices of today. Banished to the price range of $150.- and below as an ultra-cheap convenience, but they won't go away. Because by spending just a little bit more you will be able to get a full-fledged PC or Mac in a tablet and that can do so much more.

LOL, I don't distinguish, but, yeah, I expect the Windows tabs will target business and spill over into personal.

My kid is in business school. He was required to have a computer -- either a windows machine running office professional or an apple machine emulating a windows machine running office professional. The machine he chose meets business requirements but is used as much for personal stuff.

Do you mind if I ask why? If it can truly replace your laptop, meaning that you can do everything on it that you could do with a laptop, why is it too expensive?

Shari

I don't own a laptop. What originally attracted me to Win8 tablets were the early rumors that they were going to very reasonably priced. Since that isn't the case, at least in this instance, I don't see any advantage in getting a Windows 8 tablet when I could get an iPad for the same or less, or an Android tablet for much less.

What if you have a user interface that hides the complexity so that you never even have to face it until you need it?

Besides, that goes back to my e-ink vs tablet analogy. You will still have to the option to get a simple tablet at a very low price. Unlike with e-ink, however, there just won't be any real reason to do it, except to save a few bucks (which is important enough for many, but not when you need a PC/Mac for other things, anyway).

I don't own a laptop. What originally attracted me to Win8 tablets were the early rumors that they were going to very reasonably priced. Since that isn't the case, at least in this instance, I don't see any advantage in getting a Windows 8 tablet when I could get an iPad for the same or less, or an Android tablet for much less.

If you never have had a reason to use a real PC, then this will be great news for you anyway. It will push the prices of those Android tablets further down. Even the RT will be better and more powerful than an iPad (for one the screens are larger). And $399.- for the small MS Surface is still cheaper than the cheapest iPad.

If you never have had a reason to use a real PC, then this will be great news for you anyway. It will push the prices of those Android tablets further down. Even the RT will be better and more powerful than an iPad (for one the screens are larger). And $399.- for the small MS Surface is still cheaper than the cheapest iPad.

If I never have a reason to use a real PC? I don't understand what you mean by that.

I haven't read the whole thread, but where do you see $399? The cheapest in the OP is $599.

I don't own a laptop. What originally attracted me to Win8 tablets were the early rumors that they were going to very reasonably priced. Since that isn't the case, at least in this instance, I don't see any advantage in getting a Windows 8 tablet when I could get an iPad for the same or less, or an Android tablet for much less.

I'm sure that win8 tablets with lower specs are going to come out. Cheaper tablets (regardless of the OS) are the ones with lower specs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by carld

If I never have a reason to use a real PC? I don't understand what you mean by that.

I haven't read the whole thread, but where do you see $399? The cheapest in the OP is $599.

You didn't read his post carefully. He said "$399.- for the small MS Surface". He's not talking about the ASUS tablets, but the Microsoft ones, named Surface.

Imagine you are working at a computer all day. At the end of the day, you pull your tablet out of the dock and head for home. It switches from wifi/ethernet to 4g for the ride home them wifi again once you get home. You get an email that requires attention beyond the capability of an email response, so you drop your tablet into a dock in your home office and proceed to solve the problem. In the morning you head to the airport with your tablet in tow. You keep in touch with the office as you travel to your destination. When you arrive at the hotel, you drop your tablet into the hotel's docking station and have the use of a full blown computer station. When you arrive at your business meeting, you again plug in your tablet for full computer access.

You cannot do that with a Fire or an iPad. These things have the potentional to be the next amazing paradigm in the evolution of personal computing.

That scenario sounds absolutely horrid, though it describes the only possible market I could see for these devices, the worker bees.